20 Best Weight Loss Exercises For Women

They say that weight loss is eighty percent nutrition and twenty percent exercise but, that said, you’d be surprised just how important that twenty percent is. Seriously, without it those extra pounds are going no where. But (and I’m sorry to have to tell you!) doing any old exercise and hoping for the best just isn’t enough. Not all exercises are equal when it comes to helping you lose weight – in fact, a lot of exercises simply burn more of your time than they do calories, meaning you’re not losing weight, you’re wasting the day and, ultimately, you’re likely to become demotivated and quit. That’s why it’s important to focus on doing the right exercises (don’t worry, they do exist!) – one’s that will help you tone up, slim down and drop the pounds. Interested? I though you might be! Here’s the twenty best weight loss exercises for women and why they’re great for you…

1. Tennis

Calories Burned Per Hour: 800

Tennis is a great sport for helping you to burn off calories. You do so much running around it’s great for shaping your legs too! Because it’s a social sport, you’re likely to find yourself wanting to work at it longer too, giving you an even better workout. Plus, it’s harder to bail out of if you’ve made plan with a friend too whereas a gym session you can easy skip.

2. Dancing

Calories Burned Per Hour: 600-800

If, like me, you can’t resist dancing in your chair when your favourite song comes on then maybe dancing may be the best way for you to lose weight. It’s so easy and ridiculously fun too. No, I’m not talking about you joining a class (though it’s always an option), simply get your favourite CD turned up high and dance around your room. It’s fun, it’s great for helping you to lose weight and it’s also a great stress reliever. Where’s the downside?

3. Trampolining

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Calories Burned Per Hour: 400

This is officially my favourite exercise on the list. Trampolining is ridiculously fun and is great for helping you lose weight and tone up. It’s so easy too, all you have to do is bounce and you’ll be burning off calories. If you’re feeling adventurous then you can always try and learn a few tricks too – just be careful if you do!

4. Elliptical Trainer

Calories Burned Per Hour: 600

Okay, so this may not be the highest burning calorie exercise on the list but it’s definitely one of my favourites. And, I’d like to point out that while it burns an average of 600 calories per hour, I’ve known myself burn off between 800 and 900 calories in an hour so, as with everything, it depends a lot on you. Anyway, the elliptical trainer as fab for building lean, strong legs and is incredible at toning your stomach. If you’ve got some music to listen to or a TV in front of you you’ll be surprised at how lost you get in the moment, meaning you’ll go for longer and that weight will come off even quicker. I will say, when I was new to the elliptical trainer I found it hell at first – seriously, just ten minutes was a killer. After a handful of sessions though I was going at it with the best of them and burning calories like there was no tomorrow!

5. Bicycling

Calories Burned Per Hour: 500-1000

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Depending on how fast you go, you can burn between 500 and 1000 calories per hour just by cycling. It’s a great leisure exercise too, especially if you have some beautiful countryside in your area. As you can imagine, cycling is great for toning your legs but so long as you’re burning calories you’re helping your entire body. If you’re not much of an outdoor chic, there’s adverse weather, you have nowhere outdoor to go or you’re simply time restricted, you can always invest in a static bicycle. They’re not quite as good for you as the real thing but seeing as we can use them while watching TV we’re not complaining! If you’re a gym member, changes are they’ll have a static bike that you can use so why not check it out? One major plus with static bikes is that a lot of them will measure roughly how many calories you burn so you can keep track too.

6. Exercise DVDs

Calories Burned Per Hour: 300-500

I’m sure you’ve all been wondering about exercise DVDs and how well they work. For any dieter they just look like such an easy fun option, right? Well, they are but the truth is they are what you make of them. You have to put all your effort into perfecting the moves or else you’re going no where. My best recommendation is to get some form of high energy DVD like a dance or cardio one – you’ll burn more calories and see results quicker.

7. Running

Calories Burned Per Hour: 500-600

Running may just be one of the best exercises out there for you. As well as helping you to burn calories it tones your legs like few other things do, it tightens your abs, it helps you get a healthy heart and lungs and it’s also an amazing stress reliever. You get so much thinking done while you’re jogging and can take your stress out with every footfall.

8. Horse Riding

Calories Burned Per Hour: 200-600

How do you fancy toning your abs, butt and thighs, all while burning calories and enjoying nature? Sounds good, right? Well, by simply hopping on a horse you’ll be doing just that. You don’t have to go often (especially seeing as ‘often’ isn’t achievable for a lot of us), simply visiting your local stables once a week will be a great way to kickstart your weight loss.

9. Swimming

Calories Burned Per Hour: 800

Swimming is another fab exercise to help you shed those extra pounds. Again, it depends on how fast you swim but you’re likely looking at burning 800 calories per hour if you stick to doing lengths of your local pool. As well as helping you to burn off loads of calories, swimming is one of the best exercises for helping you to tone your entire body. It works all your muscles, even the ones you rarely use, so as well as helping you to lose weight it tones you too. Even better? If you’ve got enough time after you’re done, you can lounge about in the steam room – talk about motivation!

10. Zumba!

Calories Burned Per Hour: 500

If you’re not disciplined enough to simply dance around your house like I mentioned earlier then why not sign up to a Zumba class? Even if you’re uncoordinated, it’s still incredibly fun and burns off a tonne of calories too! Take a friend along and you’ll find it even more enjoyable.

11. Yoga

Calories Burned Per Hour: 150-200

Okay, so you don’t burn off many calories while doing a yoga class but that doesn’t mean it’s not good for helping you to lose weight. Stretching with help to increase your flexibility and strengthen your muscles and yoga really does help ease any anxiety you may have and relieve stress too.

12. Kickboxing

Calories Burned Per Hour: 600

This exercise is so much fun when it comes to losing weight and you feel like such a bad ass when you’re doing it. I’m not going to lie, it’s hard work and you’ll feel exhausted when your session is up but you’ll feel all the better for it. Few things feel as good as a decent workout and kickbozing does just that.

13. Rowing

Calories Burned Per Hour: 500-600

I love rowing! Firstly because it’s so much fun and secondly because of the wonderful things it does for my arms and abs. If there’s a rowing club near you, I highly recommend you pop down and give it a go. Joining a club is a great way for you to socialise and get fit at the same time too! If that’s not an option then you can always just hop on a static rowing machine. Sure, the benefits aren’t quite as good but you’ll still burn loads of calories and tone up too!

14. Step Aerobics

Calories Burned Per Hour: 800

That’s right, you don’t have to read that again, step aerobics can burn up to a whopping 800 calories per hour! Step aerobics is great for targeting your bum, hips and thighs – in other words, all those problem areas we could do with seeing shrink! Even better, not only is step aerobics great for helping you to shed the pounds, it’s also incredibly fun too. Get some good tunes on the radio, start your session and you’ll find the minutes ticking by quicker than ever. To see the best results, I recommend doing an hour per day but if that sounds like a bit much for you then try breaking it down into two half hour sessions – even four fifteen minute sessions will get the calories burning.

15. Football

Calories Burned Per Hour: 400

Move over men, football is for the ladies too! I love having a kick-about even if I don’t take it too seriously. That said, playing football is a great way to tone your legs and burn calories. You don’t have to join a clue or anything too serious, just grab a couple of friends and hit the field or even take your kids down and chase after them while they play. You’ll feel exhausted by the end but you’ll have had a great time too.

16. Weight Training

Calories Burned Per Hour: 200

I know, I know, you don’t want to look bulky so why would you weight train. First off, forget that notion. Weight training makes you look lean, not bulky. Secondly, muscle burns off calories faster than fat so tell me, why wouldn’t you want to lift a few weights? While you can burn 200 calories per hour, it’s worth noting that it’s only recommended that you do 35-40 minutes three times per week so you don’t over do it.

17. Housework

Calories Burned Per Hour: 200

Well, we may all hate housework but that’s not to say it’s not without it’s benefits. The next time you’re lugging the hoover around or getting frustrated as you pick up everyone’s mess from the floor, just think about all the calories you’re burning while doing it! Housework may not be glamorous but at least it’s helping you to shape up.

18. Gardening

Calories Burned Per Hour: 350

Gardening is so therapeutic and it’s great for helping you to lose weight too. Think about all the hard work you’re doing while you’re planing those tasty fruits and vegetables? You’re burning calories and growing yourself a nice healthy meal!

19. Walking

Calories Burned Per Hour: 300-400

Walking is one of those exercises that may well burn more time than calories but all the same it’s still great for helping us to lose weight. Not all of us are up for a gym session or are even sporty in the slightest for that matter so a brusque walk is a great alternative. It’s leisurely and it’s something that most all of us can fit into our daily routines. You don’t have to venture out on a long walk or hike, simply walking to work or the shops is an easy change you can make that will also help you with your weight loss goals.

20. Hiking

Calories Burned Per Hour: 400-450

If gentle walking isn’t adventurous enough for you then hit the hills and head out for a hike. Tackling steeper hills will help you to burn calories faster and will help to shape and strengthen your legs. As well as being good for you, hiking is a great way for you to get out, clear your head and see some amazing views. Why not check out what hiking trails are near you and find out what wonders you can see?

So there you have it, ladies, 20 of the best exercises to help you to lose weight. Now all there is to be done is to go out there and do them. Best of luck and enjoy!

56 Comments

This is the first article that included housework, gardening, and kickboxing. It’s fantastic. As an avid gardener, I always say that’s why I don’t go to the gym. In Summer I swim. Will try to walk more. It’s great to know that you don’t have to be a gym rat to be healthy and in shape. Many thanks!!

54 kilograms is a perfectly healthy, thin weight for your age. As long as you are eating healthy and working out, there is nothing wrong with your weight. Before turning your attention to dieting, first learn how to be happy with yourself the way you are. Many people lose weight only to realize that their unhappiness was caused by other parts of their life. Losing weight is not a solution–at least not the main one. In your case, you are a perfectly good weight to be.

It is actually really surprising! You can burn about as many calories vacuuming, making the beds and doing housework as you would doing yoga. Other exercises are still great for you to do, but your regular cleaning routine is a surprisingly good way to keep you fit!

I am enjoying this website a lot so far. There are a whole lot of ideas here that I have never thought of before and then there are a lot more that I have tried before but maybe forgotten. I enjoy doing just about everything on this list. It reminded me of my afternoon today when I decided to go out on a two mile hike for the sake of fresh air and exercise.

Welcome to HerInterest, Jessica! I hope you have been enjoying the site. I agree with you about hiking–I find that a few hours outdoors is a really wonderful way to clear my mind. Good for the mind and great for the soul!

I had no idea that playing tennis or cycling burned so many calories! Thanks for the great article. Now, I have a few more exercises to add to my repertoire and this article really helped to motivate me to get out there and just move!! 🙂

Both exercises are actually amazing for your body. If you cannot get around to biking or playing tennis, running and swimming are also great alternatives. The most important thing though is to always have fun. You have to actually enjoy your workout to do it everyday, so pick something that is fun for you. If you do not like to run or bike, try hiking or doing yoga instead!

I’ve been suffering from a rib fracture for a few months and have lost my natural toned arms, abs and legs. It depressing to say the least but if the elliptical trainer will get me the lean, long look I like, I’m all for it!! Thanks, great articles on the page!

I love kickboxing and dancing, though I can only dance in my home as I’m not all that good at it and am slightly embarrassed when dancing in public. I also mix in some kettle-bells throughout the week. Including gardening and housework in here, was great. I think most people, including myself, will often overlook normal everyday activities as a way of hitting fitness goals.

I agree completely about kickboxing and dancing! They are such fun workouts to do–I do not even feel like I am working out when I am dancing, but it is amazing for your cardiovascular system. I think your workout sounds like a very healthy fitness regimen that you can do for your entire life. Way to go!